Meta

A lot of special events in Washington these days are drawing big numbers and keeping Metro subway operators on their toes, what with a shiny new ballpark now open and the spring’s annual cherry blossom festivities in full bloom. Add to that Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to the nation’s capital April 15-17.

So Metro wants people to know it can move a crowd. Passengers dashing for a train or waiting on the platform for the next one likely will hear a periodic announcement with an invitation to take the subway to special events happening in Washington, including the pope’s April 17 Mass at Nationals Park. “We’re ready. Are you?” intones the voice on the public address system.

To make Massgoers lives easier, Metro is issuing a commemorative “Mass Pass,” good for unlimited travel April 17. “It will be a great keepsake of this special day,” a Washington archdiocesan spokesperson told the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Washington Archdiocese. It costs $9 and features the event logo. Metro has created a special Web site on the papal trip and has even produced a commemorative brochure. Metro plans to add extra trains and extra staff too.